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American heir and political activist From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
James Cox Chambers Jr. (born c. 1985),[1] also known as Fergie Chambers, is an American heir and political activist. He is a member of the Cox family, which derives its wealth from Cox Enterprises.
Chambers is the son of James Cox Chambers and Lauren Hamilton; the Cox family controls Cox Enterprises.[2] He spent his childhood in Brooklyn, New York, primarily with his mother, as his parents divorced when he was two years old.[2][3][4] After attending Saint Ann's School, Chambers was admitted to Bard College, but dropped out before completing a degree.[3] He subsequently worked for a year at Manheim Auctions, a company owned by his family, as a management trainer.[3][2] Chambers owned a portion of Cox Enterprises until divesting from the company in 2023, resulting in a payout estimated by Rolling Stone of at least $250 million.[5]
Cox describes himself as a Communist and has provided funding for far-left causes and activists, such as paying legal fees for others.[1] In Massachusetts, he founded a group called the Berkshire Communists, which identifies itself as a "revolutionary Marxist-Leninist collective"; his title is general secretary.[6][7][2] Chambers also opened a gym called the Berkshire People's Gym which was closed to "landlords and capitalists", among others.[7] His property purchases in the Berkshires have been described as forming a "commune" by Mother Jones.[3] In Georgia, Chambers has provided financial support for members of the Stop Cop City movement.[3][8]
Chambers is a supporter of Hamas; he described the 2023 Hamas-led attack on Israel as "a moment of hope and inspiration".[3][7] While denying to Mother Jones a report that he chanted "Death to America" every day, Chambers said "I think the most important thing for the prosperity of humanity is the destruction of the US".[3] He has also been supportive of Russia's invasion of Ukraine and visited Russian-occupied Donbas.[4]
Chambers was first married to a Russian woman, Anya Vostrova, whom he met at Bard. They lived in Russia for some time after 2008, and have three children together.[3][4][5] Chambers and his second wife, Cameron Park, met in Atlanta after his return from Russia.[4] In 2013, Chambers was arrested for domestic battery and false imprisonment of Park, although he was not prosecuted; they divorced after 2020.[2][4][5] In February 2024, he married Stella Schnabel, daughter of filmmaker Julian Schnabel; they have a son together.[3][5]
Chambers is a practicing Muslim and currently resides in Tunis, Tunisia.[5] Chambers previously lived in New Hampshire and the Berkshires region of Massachusetts.[1][9] His wealth is self-reported to be in the hundreds of millions of dollars.[1]
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